Buckeye Lake Winery in Thornville is throwing open its doors next Saturday for the 13th annual Buckeye Lake Songwriters Festival, and this year's lineup includes the Nashville pens behind some of country radio's biggest hits. Doors open at 4 p.m. on October 3, with opening acoustic sets running from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by the headlining songwriters and a 9:15 p.m. after-party set from the band At It Again that runs until 11 p.m.
The event, first previewed on WSYX's Good Day Columbus, brings together songwriters whose names rarely make the marquee but whose lyrics have topped the charts for decades, according to WSYX. CJ Joyce, president of Sheepdog Entertainment, and songwriter Dan Wallace appeared on the station to preview the festival's return to the lake. The full day-of schedule, including ticketing details for general admission, is laid out by Visit Fairfield County, which notes attendees can purchase advance tickets or bring their own lawn chairs.
Chart-Topping Pens Take the Stage
Headlining the 2026 bill are Nashville songwriters Brice Long, Dylan Altman, and Terry McBride, whose combined songwriting credits include Jon Pardi's “Heartache On The Dance Floor,” Gary Allan's “Nothing On But The Radio,” and Jake Owen's “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” according to footage shared on YouTube by Buckeye Lake Winery. Long, who has written songs recorded by Garth Brooks, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, and Reba McEntire over a 25-year career, also co-wrote Randy Houser's CMA-nominated “Like a Cowboy” and released his own solo album, All I Ever Wanted To Be, this year, per the same footage.
Altman has written country music for more than three decades, landing No. 1 singles including Tim McGraw's “Watch The Wind Blow By” and Jason Aldean's “Take A Little Ride,” according to a post on the winery's Facebook page. McBride, meanwhile, fronted the 1990s country band McBride & the Ride before turning to writing hits for Brooks & Dunn and George Strait, per the same post.
An Acoustic Round Modeled on Nashville's Bluebird Cafe
The winery's Facebook post likens the festival to Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe and describes songwriters sharing stories behind compositions they penned for other artists.
Opening the night ahead of the Nashville headliners is a roster of regional and touring musicians: Dan Wallace, Rye Davis, Andrew Beam, and Justin Andrews, according to Escape to Buckeye Lake. Wallace, a Marysville, Ohio native who recorded his debut country EP in Nashville, regularly performs across Central Ohio at venues including Columbus's The Bluestone and Rambling House, as reported by The Lantern.
A Winery Built on Perry County's Lakefront
Buckeye Lake Winery was founded in late 2011 by owner Tracy Higginbotham and opened in 2013 in Thornville. The winery produces roughly 3,000 cases of wine annually and employs up to 50 workers during its busiest months, according to the Better Business Bureau.
The songwriters festival taps into a much older tradition at the lake. Buckeye Lake was impounded in the 1820s as a reservoir for the Ohio and Erie Canal and was designated a public park in 1894. It earned the nickname “The Playground of Ohio” in the mid-20th century, when its amusement park and ballrooms hosted big bands led by Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, with Frank Sinatra among the performers, per the Historical Marker Database.
The songwriters festival is now one piece of a broader year-round calendar of events built around the lake, which also includes the annual Winterfest each January and the Wine & Woodies Antique Boat Show held at the winery each June, according to Escape to Buckeye Lake. Those recurring gatherings help sustain restaurants, marinas, and other hospitality businesses in the area beyond the summer boating season.
